The recent posts on hot loads and heavy bullet loads with the .45 reminded me of an experiment I conducted a few years ago when I was looking for a small game load for my .45 GM/LRH Renegade.

I shot Speer's 125 grain .357 jacketed hollow points with MMP's 45/357 sabots over GOEX FFFg.

The best shooting load was 40 grains. If I bumped it up to 45 grains or lowered it to 35 grains the groups doubled in size. But that 40 grain load was sweet and everything you would ever want for a flat shooting small game or plinking out to 50 yards.

Here's the target I saved from that session, with two shots each at 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 yards.